Food and drink · County · Texas
Sit-down restaurants in Cameron County, TX
How Cameron County, TX compares with other counties and the U.S. for sit-down restaurants: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 23 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,261 of 2,405 scored counties
#145 of 162 scored counties in Texas
- Listings
- 1,226
- 349 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 282
- +5.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $432.2M
- On food away from home · $3,122 a household
- Spending per listing
- $353K
- 47% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 88.6
- 45% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 433,946
- +3.0% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Cameron County
The site report maps the sit-down restaurants on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Cameron County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Cameron County scores 23 (low) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #2,261 of 2,405 scored counties and #145 of 162 scored counties in Texas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,226 sit-down restaurants in Cameron County. Chain locations make up 28% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That is 88.6 per 10,000 households, 45% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $3,122 per household (23% below the U.S. average), households in Cameron County spend about $432.2M a year on food away from home. Spread across 1,226 sit-down restaurants, that is $353K per restaurant, 47% below the U.S. figure of $664K. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 282 businesses with payroll in Cameron County classed as full-service restaurants, up 5.6% from 2019. That is one for every 491 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $782K have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Cameron County. Population estimates put the population change in Cameron County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.0%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Cameron County compares
The same measures for Texas and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the sit-down restaurants counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Cameron County | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 88.6 | 69.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $353K | $575K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 491 | 528 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.6% | +9.9% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.0% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,122 | $3,970 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $52,601 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 23 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 267 → 282+5.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,644
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $119.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 235Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,226349 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 651The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $782K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Cameron County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in Cameron County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 433,946+3.0% since 2020
- Households
- 138,433
- Median age
- 33.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 892 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 478
- Median household income
- $52,601+35.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $71,931
- Median home value
- $136,500
- Jobs located here
- 146,355
- Daytime population
- 405,619Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cameron County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the sit-down restaurants on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Cameron County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSit-down restaurants across Texas
Every Texas market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Texas for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Texas, with Cameron County marked.
Top counties in Texas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Guadalupe County, TX | 88 | 263 | 40.2 | $1M | +15.8% | #44 of 2,405 |
| 2Wilson County, TX | 86 | 79 | 43.4 | $975K | +12.2% | #58 of 2,405 |
| 3San Jacinto County, TX | 83 | 26 | 23.9 | $1.4M | +7.1% | #82 of 2,405 |
| 4Johnson County, TX | 83 | 300 | 45.8 | $878K | +20.5% | #89 of 2,405 |
| 5Parker County, TX | 82 | 274 | 48.5 | $938K | +23.5% | #98 of 2,405 |
| 6Clay County, TX | 81 | 16 | 37.3 | $1M | +5.0% | #116 of 2,405 |
| 7Randall County, TX | 81 | 227 | 40.0 | $993K | +7.9% | #118 of 2,405 |
| 8Wise County, TX | 80 | 128 | 50.9 | $828K | +21.5% | #132 of 2,405 |
| 9Kaufman County, TX | 79 | 266 | 52.2 | $788K | +42.2% | #154 of 2,405 |
| 10Hardin County, TX | 78 | 92 | 41.4 | $926K | +4.2% | #175 of 2,405 |
| 145Cameron County, TX | 23 | 1,226 | 88.6 | $353K | +3.0% | #2,261 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Cameron County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes21
- Sit-down restaurants23
- Fast food and sandwich shops25
- Pizza40
- Coffee shops and cafes32
- Bakeries and dessert shops23
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many sit-down restaurants are in Cameron County, TX?
Cameron County has 1,226 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 349 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 282 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 5.6% from 2019. Official counts list 235 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Cameron County, TX spend on food away from home?
About $432.2M a year, or $3,122 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,226 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $353K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 138,433 households in Cameron County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cameron County, TX compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Cameron County has 88.6 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 45% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $353K, 47% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Cameron County would have about 651, against 1,226 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 491 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Cameron County, TX growing?
Population estimates put Cameron County at 433,946 people in 2025, up 3.0% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 138,433 households. The median household income in Cameron County is $52,601 a year, 35% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 35.7% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Cameron County scores 23 for sit-down restaurants (low), #2,261 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cameron County. It maps the sit-down restaurants on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for sit-down restaurants · All 56 business types in Cameron County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cameron County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Cameron County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.